I’m moving around some many GB’s of music on my servers here and something that I’ve known for awhile is readily apparent in my catalog:
I’m light on Rap and Hip Hop.
I have some stuff, some assorted rap artists that have in rotation, but I don’t claim to know shit about ‘essentials’ in the genres. I know some of the big names, but never dove deep.
I know there’s some knowledge here-- Please advise.
I’m just going to be an observant passenger in this thread.
Thx.
Any kind of “style” you’re looking for specifically, or you just trying to get a foundation going?
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
Any kind of “style” you’re looking for specifically, or you just trying to get a foundation going?[/quote]
2x It depends on what you’re looking for but I’ll start you off with some universal classics that you’ve might of heard before. Each is a bit different from the others.
Nas - Illmatic
Outkast - Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik/Aquemini/ATLiens (You really can’t go wrong with any album of their albums IMO)
UGK - Ridin’ Dirty
Jay Z - The Blueprint
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
Any kind of “style” you’re looking for specifically, or you just trying to get a foundation going?[/quote]
I wouldn’t even know what ‘style’ to ask for, hence, the thread.
[quote]Soulja874 wrote:
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
Any kind of “style” you’re looking for specifically, or you just trying to get a foundation going?[/quote]
2x It depends on what you’re looking for but I’ll start you off with some universal classics that you’ve might of heard before. Each are a bit different from the others.
Nas - Illmatic
Outkast - Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik/Aquemini/ATLiens (You really can’t go wrong with any album of their albums IMO)
UGK - Ridin’ Dirty
Jay Z - The Blueprint[/quote]
OK I actually have some sorted songs by Outkast (B.O.B., Hey Ya, etc). I don’t think they’re from the same CD’s though.
I have a shitton of 50 Cent-- love his stuff. Got a bunch of assorted Snoop and Dre stuff, probably what got some airplay at the time, but no ‘deep’ cuts. Some Cypress Hill from back in the day. Certainly a bunch of old school stuff.
That’s pretty much the pattern for me, I hear stuff that I like, grab a song or two and they get rotated, just no real deep cuts or feel for what ‘style’ I even like or to look for if that makes any sense.
So, if we’re talking ESSENTIALS… I can’t really help you out. That’s a list that’d feature a bunch of names and people will argue over whether the artists are ‘essential’ or not.
Albums I’ve really enjoyed the last six months and their respective sub-genre:
Paul Wall: The People’s Champ: Houston Rap: it’s really fun to listen to, high on materialism, low on content, and generally unoffensive.
Aesop Rock: None Shall Pass: Backpacker: It’s SAT Rap. Listening is guaraunteed to raise your verbal score by 25%, 60% of 100% of the time.
Atmosphere: Lucy Ford: Backpacker: Atmosphere is really good at telling stories, and its touching how he matches juvenile demands for self-gratification with sometimes sublime insight.
CunninLynguist: Strange Journeys, Volume 1 and 2: Southern Rap: it’s a mixtape with several other rappers of varying degrees of fame and fortune. Broad spectrum of topics and issues dealt with professional style.
Devin the Dude: Waiting to Exhale: Pot-rap; the CD just makes me smile, Devin sounds so emasculated that when he talks about strangling bitches with his dick its hilarious.
Backpack-rap is a (typically derogatory) term used to describe the underground artists who actively try to sound underground. They’re like the hipster-emo-indy-pop kids of the hip-hop scene. I think that’s the only vocab that might be difficult to understand for the uninitiated. Well, that and why the aforementioned groups sound nothing alike.
I’m not an expert, but I keep a blog that features reviews on many of the above works. Check it out if you’re interested: Dizzy Ares
Try some albums by Last Emperor and Pharoah Monche. I also quite like the new Cypress Hill album, Rise Up.
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
[quote]Soulja874 wrote:
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
Any kind of “style” you’re looking for specifically, or you just trying to get a foundation going?[/quote]
2x It depends on what you’re looking for but I’ll start you off with some universal classics that you’ve might of heard before. Each are a bit different from the others.
Nas - Illmatic
Outkast - Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik/Aquemini/ATLiens (You really can’t go wrong with any album of their albums IMO)
UGK - Ridin’ Dirty
Jay Z - The Blueprint[/quote]
OK I actually have some sorted songs by Outkast (B.O.B., Hey Ya, etc). I don’t think they’re from the same CD’s though.
I have a shitton of 50 Cent-- love his stuff. Got a bunch of assorted Snoop and Dre stuff, probably what got some airplay at the time, but no ‘deep’ cuts. Some Cypress Hill from back in the day. Certainly a bunch of old school stuff.
That’s pretty much the pattern for me, I hear stuff that I like, grab a song or two and they get rotated, just no real deep cuts or feel for what ‘style’ I even like or to look for if that makes any sense.[/quote]
Given you said you like 50’s stuff a lot, I think a good start for you would be to post some blockbuster rap albums from this decade just to start off and then maybe you can work your way backwards and underground:
Jay-Z: the Blueprint, the Black Album, you may as well get all of his
Kanye West: College Dropout, Late Registration, Graduation
Eminem: the Marshall Mathers LP, the Eminem Show [I think you’ll like the Eminem Show the most]
The Game: the Documentary or Doctor’s Advocate
Dr. Dre: 2001 [actually from 1999 but meh]
OutKast: Stankonia, Speakerboxx/The Love Below [also get the ones Soulja listed, or a greatest hits album at least]
Lil Wayne: Tha Carter 3
T.I.: King, Paper Trail
50 Cent: Get Rich or Die Trying, The Massacre
Common: Be
Drake: Thank Me Later
I’m sure I’ve left some off, but hey. Here are some from this decade that may not have been blockbusters, but are pretty popular with heads:
the Clipse: Hell Hath No Fury
Young Jeezy: The Inspiration, Thug Motivation: 101
UGK: Underground Kingz, Ridin’ Dirty
Ghostface Killa: Supreme Clientele, Fishscale
Lupe Fiasco: Food & Liquor, The Cool
Nas: Pretty much all of his albums from the past 10 years [and get Illmatic and It was Written, btw]
The Roots: Most of their stuff
Common: Finding Forever
Lil Wayne: Tha Carter 2, Da Drought 3, Dedication 2
^Those are mostly big names who have gotten a lot of recognition. Adding in underground guys gets hard because there so many to name and so many different scenes. I’ve also probably left some off since this is off the top of my head.
I like to hear this Steely! I guess I’m just going to post a few rap / hip-hop songs that I feel help to represent best the two genres (because I swear, they ARE different!)
Anyway, here’s some of what I would consider to be essential rap and transition it into hip-hop.
…but that seriously only scratches the immense, deep, and awesome surface. Let me know if any of this strikes your fancy.
Here’s a GREAT resource IMO:
It’s basically a list compiled from lists of the top 50 hip hop records from the 00s that were written by lesser known hip hop blogger/writers who are pretty good. All come with at least one sample song for the reader to play, and a good description written by one of the writers who submitted a list. There’s a strong balance of blockbuster, underground, retro, cult/regional classics in the list, so it’s a start no matter what kind of hip hop your getting into.
Just go on the song listed on the first album [#50, the Deltron one] and it’ll keep playing the songs from the other albums, and if you like one read the description of the album and go get it. Doesn’t get much easier than that, hope this helps.
If you want to really get into older stuff [before 2000], it’s pretty easy to get a head start. Just go search for lists of the greatest rap albums ever. Here’s a list of albums that got perfect ratings from the Source:
Notice how most are old as hell, lol. Not too many best albums lists will have a lot of stuff from the past decade since it takes a while for great albums to become recognized as classics generally. Just find more lists and you’ll have stuff to look for.
Warren G’s Regulate is an incredible track, I have that on my mp3 player at all times. Here’s a few I’ve listend to recently:
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
Any kind of “style” you’re looking for specifically, or you just trying to get a foundation going?[/quote]
I wouldn’t even know what ‘style’ to ask for, hence, the thread.[/quote]
Touche. Here are some albums you can listen to from start to finish without skipping a track. These should set a “foundation”-
Nas- Illmatic [Classic, one of the top 5 rap albums of all time]
Biggie - Ready to Die [see above]
Mobb Deep- The Infamous [These dudes are not studio gangsters. This shit is grimey]
A Tribe Called Quest- Midnight Maruaders [One of my top 5 “feel good” albums]
Pete Rock & CL Smooth- Mecca and the Soul Brother [some of the best beats you’ll find]
Eric B and Rakim- Don’t sweat the technique [most would tell you to get “Paid in Full”, but this is a better album to me]
Scarface- The Diary [So dope. People really sleep on Scarface as a rapper]
There’s seven albums to get you started man. There are several more that I consider essential, but these are great albums and easy to find.
Anything ever made by tupac while he was alive up to Until the End of Time album. Start with the Thug Life album, you won’t like much of the two albums that came out before that, too old school. Me Against the World is a cornerstone in rap history, only album to ever reach #1 while the artist was in jail.
In fact, since none of you above me even mentioned pac you’re all getting a -1 from me. Shame on you.
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
Any kind of “style” you’re looking for specifically, or you just trying to get a foundation going?[/quote]
I wouldn’t even know what ‘style’ to ask for, hence, the thread.[/quote]
Touche. Here are some albums you can listen to from start to finish without skipping a track. These should set a “foundation”-
Nas- Illmatic [Classic, one of the top 5 rap albums of all time]
Biggie - Ready to Die [see above]
Mobb Deep- The Infamous [These dudes are not studio gangsters. This shit is grimey]
A Tribe Called Quest- Midnight Maruaders [One of my top 5 “feel good” albums]
Pete Rock & CL Smooth- Mecca and the Soul Brother [some of the best beats you’ll find]
Eric B and Rakim- Don’t sweat the technique [most would tell you to get “Paid in Full”, but this is a better album to me]
Scarface- The Diary [So dope. People really sleep on Scarface as a rapper]
There’s seven albums to get you started man. There are several more that I consider essential, but these are great albums and easy to find.[/quote]
See that? We agree on some stuff :D.
Midnight Marauders is definitely better than Low End Theory, and Ready to Die is probably the greatest rap album ever made. It’s pretty much a perfect album, concept, songs, wordplay, flow, production, everything’s top notch.
[quote]LarryDavid wrote:
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
[quote]Soulja874 wrote:
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
Any kind of “style” you’re looking for specifically, or you just trying to get a foundation going?[/quote]
2x It depends on what you’re looking for but I’ll start you off with some universal classics that you’ve might of heard before. Each are a bit different from the others.
Nas - Illmatic
Outkast - Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik/Aquemini/ATLiens (You really can’t go wrong with any album of their albums IMO)
UGK - Ridin’ Dirty
Jay Z - The Blueprint[/quote]
OK I actually have some sorted songs by Outkast (B.O.B., Hey Ya, etc). I don’t think they’re from the same CD’s though.
I have a shitton of 50 Cent-- love his stuff. Got a bunch of assorted Snoop and Dre stuff, probably what got some airplay at the time, but no ‘deep’ cuts. Some Cypress Hill from back in the day. Certainly a bunch of old school stuff.
That’s pretty much the pattern for me, I hear stuff that I like, grab a song or two and they get rotated, just no real deep cuts or feel for what ‘style’ I even like or to look for if that makes any sense.[/quote]
Given you said you like 50’s stuff a lot, I think a good start for you would be to post some blockbuster rap albums from this decade just to start off and then maybe you can work your way backwards and underground:
Jay-Z: the Blueprint, the Black Album, you may as well get all of his
Kanye West: College Dropout, Late Registration, Graduation
Eminem: the Marshall Mathers LP, the Eminem Show [I think you’ll like the Eminem Show the most]
The Game: the Documentary or Doctor’s Advocate
Dr. Dre: 2001 [actually from 1999 but meh]
OutKast: Stankonia, Speakerboxx/The Love Below [also get the ones Soulja listed, or a greatest hits album at least]
Lil Wayne: Tha Carter 3
T.I.: King, Paper Trail
50 Cent: Get Rich or Die Trying, The Massacre
Common: Be
Drake: Thank Me Later
I’m sure I’ve left some off, but hey. Here are some from this decade that may not have been blockbusters, but are pretty popular with heads:
the Clipse: Hell Hath No Fury
Young Jeezy: The Inspiration, Thug Motivation: 101
UGK: Underground Kingz, Ridin’ Dirty
Ghostface Killa: Supreme Clientele, Fishscale
Lupe Fiasco: Food & Liquor, The Cool
Nas: Pretty much all of his albums from the past 10 years [and get Illmatic and It was Written, btw]
The Roots: Most of their stuff
Common: Finding Forever
Lil Wayne: Tha Carter 2, Da Drought 3, Dedication 2
^Those are mostly big names who have gotten a lot of recognition. Adding in underground guys gets hard because there so many to name and so many different scenes. I’ve also probably left some off since this is off the top of my head.
[/quote]
/thread.
jk really but i think thats a pretty comprehensive list.
^hehe thanks, I do what I can. The Link I posted is probably better overall, too.
[quote]LarryDavid wrote:
^hehe thanks, I do what I can. The Link I posted is probably better overall, too.[/quote]
you also forgot vanilla ice’s To the extreme.
No one mentioned Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt?
How terrible.
[quote]Dymdez wrote:
Anything ever made by tupac while he was alive up to Until the End of Time album. Start with the Thug Life album, you won’t like much of the two albums that came out before that, too old school. Me Against the World is a cornerstone in rap history, only album to ever reach #1 while the artist was in jail.
In fact, since none of you above me even mentioned pac you’re all getting a -1 from me. Shame on you.
[/quote]
THANK GOD.
Over half this thread gone until anyone mentions pac? Fucking disgrace.
cant go past
immortal technique - revolutionary vl 2
joe budden - escape route, padded room, mood music 3 & 2
slaughterhouse - slaughterhouse
gza - liquid swords
raekwon - only built for cuban linx 1 & 2
wu tang clan - enter the 36 chambers
z-ro - the life of joseph mcvey and t.h.u.g
rick ross - the Albert Anastasia ep
dizzee rascal - maths and english
joel ortiz - the brick
freeway - free at last
young jeezy - the recession
tried not to relist what others have put down.